The below recommendations have been advised by many commercial recycling companies in New Zealand, and are based on the availability of markets for materials and the quality of materials required by re-processors.

Toys and laminated pouches contain multiple different materials including metals and different plastics combined into one product.

Chemicals from hazardous chemical containers leach into the plastic and can be unsafe to recycle.

Metal

Accepted items:

Items must be empty and rinsed clean.

Drink cans

Food tins (soup, fruit, sauces)

Kitchen and bathroom aerosols (deodorant, air freshener)

Not accepted:

Loose tabs and lids

Foil

Pots and pans

Metal lids (such as those on glass jars)

Aluminium tubes (toothpaste, tomato paste)

Biscuit tins

LPG cylinders

Why?

The recycling sorting machinery is set up to sort household metal containers. It cannot sort ports, foil and other metal objects.

Foil and loose lids can slip through the sorting machinery and end up contaminating the paper or glass streams.

Glass

Accepted items:

Glass food and beverage packaging. Items need to be empty, rinsed and clean and the lids placed in the rubbish.

Bottles (wine, spirits, beer, olive oil)

Jars (sauces, baby food, jam)

Not accepted:

Non-food or beverage bottles (perfume, face cream)

Drinking glasses and crockery

Ceramics

Window glass and mirrors

Why?

These grades of glass have different properties and melting points. If they get through with the "bottle glass", they cause imperfections and wastage.

Paper and cardboard (fibre)

Accepted items:

Items need to be empty and clean. Cardboard should be flattened.

Newspapers, magazines, brochures, leaflets, flyers

Printer paper, letters, envelopes (including ones with windows)

Wrapping paper (non-foil)

Cardboard boxes and egg cartons

Clean, empty pizza boxes. Grease and a little cheese residue is ok - but no food

Not accepted

Juice or milk cartons

Disposable coffee cups

Paper towel, tissues

Hygiene sanitary items (nappies, wet wipes, sanitary towels)

Shredded paper

Non-paper gift wrap (foil based wrapping paper) or gift bags

Fish and chip/butcher paper that has been contaminated with food

Why?

Tetra pak-type milk and juice cartons contain multiple types of materials such as plastic, paper and foil. This renders them non-recyclable.

Paper towels and tissues are usually contaminated and have a "wet strength" so that they don't fall apart when you use them. This stops them from being able to break-down quickly for recycling into new paper. This is also the reason that these items should not be flushed down the toilet. But you can compost them - along with your fish and chip paper.

Shredded paper is too small to be sorted by the machinery. As it is loose and the pieces are small, it can also cause wind blown litter issues. Instead, you can put shredded paper in your fire or compost.

Common non-recyclable items

These items cannot be accepted in your recycling bin. Please place these items in the rubbish.

Lids

This includes any type of lid from small plastic caps off milk bottles, to large flat lids from ice cream containers, to metal lids from glass jars.

Some issues with lids include:

They get stuck in the recycling sorting machinery

They are often made from a different type of material (or different grade of plastic) to the container they are on

They fall off bales and blow away in the wind - ending up in waterways

They are too small and/or flat and slip through the sorting machinery and contaminate the glass or paper streams

Triggers and pumps

This includes triggers on household cleaner spray bottles and pumps on liquid soap or shampoo bottles.